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Obj. ID: 26351
Hebrew Illuminated Manuscripts
  Pinkas of Eisenstadt community, Eisenstadt, 1717-1832

© Center for Jewish Art, Photographer: Unknown,
Summary and Remarks

Eisenstadt was the leading one of the "Seven communities" of Burgenland and from the end of 17th to the middle of the 19th centuries one of the most important communities of Europe. Six other communities of Burgenland were Mattersburg (Mattersdorf), Lackenbach, Deutschkreutz (Tzelm?), Kobersdorf, Frauenkirchen, Kittsee.

The Pinkas, written between 1717-1832 includes different decisions concerning inner affairs of these communities, incomes and outcomes and some official documents. Many decisions are finished with the formula (e.g. fol. 40v): "העתקתי אות באות מגוף הפס"ד (הפסק דין)..." ("I copied letter by letter from the body of verdict…"), which means that the decisions were written separately and then were copied into the Pinkas.

The sums in the Pinkas are accounted in zehubim (gold, which means florins).

 The history of the Eisenstadt community is also reflected in the Pinkas.

After in 1704 and 1707, during Kurucz revolts (by Hungarian nationalists who were against Habsburg Royalty), Eisenstadt was destroyed and Jewish inhabitants took refuge in other cities, the community was restored with the help of Samson Wertheimer, who also served as its Rabbi. Meir Eisenstadt (MaHaRam Esh) was rabbi from 1717 until his death in 1714. Both of them appear in the Pinkas.

This was the most prosperous period for the community. Many Jews, who left Eisenstadt during Kurucz revolts stayed in their new places and those who came back were little in number and could not manage economically. Because of that, Samson Wertheimer with Rabbis of Vienna decided that former members of the Eisenstadt community, wealthy Jewish families living in Vienna without residence rights will pay for a fictitious right of domicile in Eisenstadt (e.g. fol. 33).

 The Jewish quarter was destroyed by a conflagration in 1795 and in 1832 anew synagogue was built. This conflagration of 1795 is also mentioned in the Pinkas.  

 

 

Remarks

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Name/Title
Pinkas of Eisenstadt community | Unknown
Object Detail
Monument Setting
Unknown
Date
1717-1832
Synagogue active dates
Reconstruction dates
Artist/ Maker
Historical Origin
Unknown
Community type
Unknown |
Congregation
Unknown
Site
Unknown
School/Style
Unknown|
Period
Unknown
Period Detail
Collection
Austria | Vienna | Österreichische Nationalbibliothek (ÖNB)
| Cod.hebr. 222 (Schwarts No. ?)
Documentation / Research project
Unknown
Iconographical Subject
Unknown |
Textual Content
Unknown |
Languages of inscription
Unknown
Shape / Form
Unknown
Material / Technique
Material Stucture
Material Decoration
Material Bonding
Material Inscription
Material Additions
Material Cloth
Material Lining
Tesserae Arrangement
Density
Colors
Construction material
Measurements
Height
Length
Width
Depth
Circumference
Thickness
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Weight
Axis
Panel Measurements
Condition
Extant
Documented by CJA
Surveyed by CJA
Present Usage
Present Usage Details
Condition of Building Fabric
Architectural Significance type
Historical significance: Event/Period
Historical significance: Collective Memory/Folklore
Historical significance: Person
Architectural Significance: Style
Architectural Significance: Artistic Decoration
Urban significance
Significance Rating
0
Ornamentation
Custom
Contents
The Pinkas, written mostly in Hebrew, deals with incomes and outcomes of the Eisenstadt community and six communities of Burgenland. It also includes different decisions about inner affairs of the Eisenstadt community, and it mentions some historic events. Several official documents, some of them in Deutsch, were also copied into the Pinkas. From fol. 261v (1821) there are lists of baalei tfilot and tkiot (prayer leaders who had an honor of reading the Torah and blowing of the shofar in the synagogue) that were chosen by seven Elders of the City.
Codicology

: Paper

 III + 401 leaves

 

Measurements

 

Full page : 310 X198 mm.

 

 

 Scribes

 Many scribes wrote the Pinkas in different periods.  

 Script

 

The text is written in different semi-cursive Ashkenazi scripts 

On fol. 169 there are two lines written in Sephardi semi-cursive script  by the envoy, Haim Moda'i from Safed, who came to collect donations for destroyed synagogue in Safed and alms for Eretz Israel.    

From fol. 261v the lists of prayers are written in square Ashkenazi script.

 

 

 Number of lines

 The text is written in a varied number of lines.

Catchwords

Generally, there are no catchwords in the manuscript. But some of the scribes used horizontal semi-cursive catchwords situated in the left-hand lower corner of the each page's verso side (e.g. 22v, 23v, 24v etc.).

  

Hebrew numeration

 First three leaves have a later numbering by Roman numerals (I-III), but the rest of the leaves are numbered by Hebrew letters, situated in the left-hand upper corner of each recto side.

 Blank leaves

 Fols. 74v and 82 are blank.

Scribes
Script
Number of Lines
Ruling
Pricking
Quires
Catchwords
Hebrew Numeration
Blank Leaves
Direction/Location
Façade (main)
Endivances
Location of Torah Ark
Location of Apse
Location of Niche
Location of Reader's Desk
Location of Platform
Temp: Architecture Axis
Arrangement of Seats
Location of Women's Section
Direction Prayer
Direction Toward Jerusalem
Coin
Coin Series
Coin Ruler
Coin Year
Denomination
Signature
Colophon
Scribal Notes
Many decisions are finished with the formula (e.g. fol. 40v): "I copied letter by letter from the body of verdict…(העתקתי אות באות מגוף הפס"ד (הפסק דין)...). Others are finished with similar formulas.
Watermark
Hallmark
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Group
Group
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Trade Mark
Binding
Decoration Program
  1. Title page decorated with a wreath opens the Pinkas (fol. III).

 

Suggested Reconsdivuction
History/Provenance
Till the middle of the 19th century the Pinkas belonged to the Jewish community of Eisenstadt.
Main Surveys & Excavations
Sources
B. Wachstein, Urkunden und Akten zur Geschichte der Juden in Eisenstadt und den Siebengemeiden, Wien and Leipzig, 1926. R. Patai, Arim ve-Imahot, Eisenstadt, pp. 41-78.
Type
Documenter
Ilona Steimann | 08.08.2005
Author of description
Ilona Steimann | 08.08.2005
Architectural Drawings
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Computer Reconstruction
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Section Head
Michal Sternthal |
Language Editor
Judith Cardozo |
Donor
|
Negative/Photo. No.
The following information on this monument will be completed:
Unknown |